By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, we will have celebrated Mary’s retirement from the state, where she worked in Judicial Branch at the Waterbury Courthouse. By celebrated. I mean, we did the usual—dinner from Chunky Tomato on Friday and home-cooked breakfast prepared by yours truly. It doesn’t mean she won’t be working because she will be in Hartford, representing Bristol in the 79th District.
End of the year for me means a break from school, but not really since there are always papers to read and comments to be made—I like commenting on their papers and try to make it a conversation. Time is key, though. Having time to attend to these tasks always seems to be getting shorter and shorter. No complaints, here. The students are coming along, and they remain full of surprises.
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Earlier this week Roland Dumont passed, and for me, his passing not only brings up his contributions to the community on many levels, from business to charity, but also fond memories of a different sort having to do with Bristol in the mid-1960s through 1970s when I was member of the then-Bristol Boys Club. Mr. Dumont was among the influential members of Bristol society who were also members, Older Members, whom young people, like me, got to see upclose on a regular basis.
These men played in adult basketball leagues, volunteered at the club, might even have been emissaries, but the important thing for the youth was that here among us were role models, reminding us without having said anything, that we might one day follow in their footsteps I have thought about their influence often enough over the years, as I have watched opportunities for young people to “live” along with more mature members of society diminish.
Yes, we still have our coaches—but our public leagues have given over to travel teams where opportunities are limited; yes, we still have our classrooms—but our classrooms have given over to teachers who are overworked, limiting their willingness and ability to commit quality time to student activities.
Overall, opportunities to see mentors and role models in anything other than “official” circumstances are making it difficult for young people to relate to adults and find inspiration. For instance, I can remember being somewhat in awe of watching men in their 30s and 40s, often those who had played in college, dressed in those old cotton shorts and t-shirts competing on that tiny old basketball court. Mr. Dumont was right out there, among them.
As they departed and the kids took over the court, I can remember thinking, “I am playing on the same court as these older guys. I might be as good as them one day.” Suddenly, the world was a lot bigger and the future brighter.
Thank you, Mr. Dumont. Condolences to Cheryl, Scott and Melanie and your families. Mr. Dumont’s obituary is here.
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TBE is wrapping up its year, more on this next week. Overall, it’s been a good one. We’ve gotten our name out into the community—we have a long way to go, however, since many times, often in our presence, people admit that they haven’t heard about us, are unfamiliar with us or that they think we are associated with the other newspaper in town, which we are not.
We did receive our 501(c)(3) status from the IRS, making us a bona fide non-profit. Having earned this designation, TBE agrees to abide by the governing principles established to guide non-profits, and at the same time, it allows people who have the means to donate to our cause and earn themselves a tax break.
At the moment, we have donors, supporters, patrons and benefactors—who have all supported us with one time or regular donations regardless of tax benefits. These people, we believe, recognize our value to the community and our potential as a news organization. We hope that each of our readers will consider regular contributions. Click the “contribute” button on our pages for levels of giving.
So, yes, this is an appeal to you to spread the word about TBE, and to consider, if you haven’t already, regular recurring monthly donations. Send us story ideas, write stories and photos and submit them, comment on our stories. You get the idea.
At the same time, TBE will be expanding our community outreach with new initiatives in the new year. I will be passing along information next week.
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Advance notice! TBE will be publishing its first book early in the new year. The book, by our sportswriter Mike Letendre, has for its subject the Bristol Central high school boys championship run last season. Look for more details in the upcoming weeks.
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Listening/reading–after the announcement last week of OpenAI chat bot, there has been plenty to read about its significance, what it might mean to education and its influence on society as a whole. I recommend, a Google search, to catch up. The one item that I direct you to is another Ezra Klein podcast, where Klein entertains questions from listeners of the podcast and readers of his column. Click here for the link.
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Heading into the week, aware that Christmas (Christian) is seven days away, here are a few reminders about other religious holidays occurring at or around this time of year: Chanukah (Jewish) begins this evening; Yule or the Winter Solstice (Wiccan) begins Dec. 21; Feast of the Nativity, Orthodox Christian; Kwanzaa (African-American) is Dec. 26; Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrain), Dec. 26.
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Enjoy!
“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org.
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